These Children of Mine
by SunsetsAbound
Summary: So Voldemort has been defeated. What happens now to the orphans the war has left behind? What is done to help the Slytherin children? Snape centric, others come and go


Okay, deep breath, here we go! This is a first attempt at fan-fiction after a long period of doing nothing but beta-ing and then a period of nothing. So to start this off, everybody conveniently forget everything about Severus killing Dumbledore and running away with Draco. Okay? Forgotten? Good!

Chapter 1

It was a fine summer's evening as Severus Snape neared the corner of Grimmauld Place. Severus wasn't usually one for walking, especially when apparating would serve him much quicker. This was, however, not an ordinary day. Nor an ordinary week, nor two…it had been fifteen days since the fall of Voldemort. Fifteen days of disbelief, chaos, unchecked emotion—but most of all, freedom. This wild, half-forgotten notion that, somehow, the bonds shackling him to a sinking stone of crazed anxiety by day, horrified disgust and torture by night had been broken. For the first time in all of his life, Severus had control of his own mind and body. So today, he chose to walk. Just because he could. Besides…he had things to think about.

A soft gust of cool, dry air reached out to greet him at the door of the still dark and dreary house. Blinking away the fading sun form his eyes, Severus mad his way to Dumbledore's study, where he knew the old wizard to be. After the attack on Hogwarts, and the Headmaster himself, he had been given a room in Grimmauld Place for safety and hadn't yet moved out. Privately, Severus was still concerned about Albus-he might be able to fool his blind little Gryffindors into thinking him well, but not the Potions Master. His very aura about him had weakened, and no twinkling of those wizened blue eyes would disguise that.

Severus stood before the Headmaster's door, ready to knock, when he heard Albus' voice calling from within.

"Do come in, Severus." _How does he DO that? _He wondered for the millionth time, then began to brace himself mentally. _Be firm,_ he told himself. _This time you've got to get through to him; no one else is helping these children…_With that thought in mind, Severus strode into the room.

"Albus, we've got to discuss what's going to-" he stopped. _Damn._ Lupin, Black, and McGonagall were all seated opposite the Headmaster in all his purple-robed glory, looking at him curiously.

"I'll just come back later," he said quickly, already retreating back to the hall. He and the final two Marauders had finally overcome their differences and their past, enough to at least work together in the fight against Voldemort, but that certainly didn't mean they were on anything other than business terms. And Minerva was one of the very few people he considered a friend, but the subject at hand was too sensitive to discuss with her just yet. But Dumbledore was blissfully ignorant of all of those things.

"Nonsense!" he cried cheerfully. "Come sit and have some tea, you can tell us what's on your mind."

"No, really, Albus, this is…private. I can simply wait-" Severus suddenly felt something behind him. He whirled around, wand out, just in time to see an oversized red and gold chair scoop him up and fly him into the room.

"Damn it, Albus! This isn't a joke!" To his left, he could hear Black laughing uproariously, while Lupin was desperately trying to conceal his laughter and failing miserably. Minerva at least had the grace to look away as if in distaste, but her shaking shoulders told him the truth. Meanwhile, the chair had refused to release him from its clutches, and dusty, moth-eaten strips of fabric had begun snaking their way around his limbs and neck. Albus looked vaguely surprised.

"I don't believe I've seen it do that before," he remarked calmly. This only infuriated Severus further.

"Get this damn thing away from me NOW, Albus, or I'll blow the whole thing into splinters! I don't have time for this!"

"Just another moment, Severus, don't worry…would anyone happen to know the spell for this chair? I'm not quite sure where the Weasley twins are at the moment, we'll need to talk with them…I've done that to two different people now, dear Emmeline…" As Dumbledore droned on, Severus was becoming horribly fed up. He had come here with a purpose, time and resources were waning, as were the hopes of several young lives he was responsible for, and the disgusting look of glee on the faces before him only fueled his anger. His magic flowed though him, pulsing in his veins, and he had an instant of vindictive triumph as Albus realized what was happening.

"Severus-" And suddenly green flames erupted around him, swirling high into the air like a volcano, violently sparking across his skin, though he couldn't feel it, before finally receding into the doomed chair. The laughter of the room seemed to follow the flames, and Severus had a moment to straighten himself up from his sitting position. Still reveling in the raw power at his fingertips, he looked behind him in satisfaction, seeing that not a speck of the chair remained. Turning, he caught three awestruck faces and one full of…what was it? Disappointment? At the moment, Severus couldn't find it in himself to care a whit for what the old man thought.

"I don't think you'll need the spell anymore," he spoke softly, deliberately—belying the true anger and resentment he was feeling. Albus gazed at him impassively from his chair.

"I think that was a bit excessive, Severus," he said lightly. Those blue eyes were seemed to burn into his heart, probably trying to instill some sense of guilt or remorse in his Potions Master. Not this time.

"Trying to tie me up in a chair is _excessive_, Albus," he hissed. "In fact, ignoring such an important matter for so long, especially the one you know I was here to talk about, is a bit _excessive_, don't you think? Actually, you seem to have an _excessive_ disdain for almost everything Slytherin. But I suppose it's my fault I expected anything _excessively_ polite from you, now that I'm not needed to stick my neck out on the line. I beg your great Gryffindor pardon for disrupting you. So now if you'll excuse me, I have important matters to attend to…" Severus turned abruptly and left the room with every bit of pride and superiority instilled in him by his kin and his righteous cause. Sweeping down the hallway, he pointedly ignored the four voices hailing him from behind.

"Aw, come on, Snape; don't turn this into a house issue…"

"Severus, I'm sure he was just trying to lighten the mood…"

"This isn't solving anything by leaving us now!"

"Severus, I do sincerely apologize…"

The heartfelt emotion behind the last nearly stopped him, but he'd heard it a million times before. It hadn't stopped the anguish he suffered every time he'd been sent off to a summoning. It hadn't stopped the screaming and begging of innocent men, women, and children; it didn't stop the guilt that pervaded every bit of his soul, even in his dreams. It didn't end the suffering of the nine orphaned children and teenagers in his home; despised for being the spawn of Death Eaters, and equally so for having denied the mark, or for having been rescued by Severus himself. No, there was no doubt Albus meant every apology he'd ever spoken.

But sometimes, an apology just isn't enough.

...End Ch. 1...

So there it is! A little short, but it was a little tough to start this off—I have a really clear idea of what's going on but I don't know if it came out well. This story is going to be mainly focused around these orphans coming from the other side of the war. Lots of Snape, Snape/orphan interaction, some slowly developing friendships. Romance may/may not come up, if it does, it won't be a big facet for this story. But really, who knows what will happen? I've been known to change my mind a time or two! So anyways, I'd appreciate any and all comments, critiques, reviews, suggestions, etc. please, please no flames! You have better stuff to do than to write them, I have better stuff to do than to read them. And hey, I'm a first-time author! So now, the moment of truth—will you review, or not? puppy dog eyes Please!


End file.
